Of Analogue: Access to Cbc/Radio-Canada Television Programming in an Era of Digital Delivery
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THE END(S) OF ANALOGUE: ACCESS TO CBC/RADIO-CANADA TELEVISION PROGRAMMING IN AN ERA OF DIGITAL DELIVERY by Steven James May Master of Arts, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2008 Bachelor of Applied Arts (Honours), Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1999 Bachelor of Administrative Studies (Honours), Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 1997 A dissertation presented to Ryerson University and York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Program of Communication and Culture Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2017 © Steven James May, 2017 AUTHOR'S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A DISSERTATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this dissertation. This is a true copy of the dissertation, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this dissertation to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this dissertation by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my dissertation may be made electronically available to the public. ii ABSTRACT The End(s) of Analogue: Access to CBC/Radio-Canada Television Programming in an Era of Digital Delivery Steven James May Doctor of Philosophy in the Program of Communication and Culture Ryerson University and York University, 2017 This dissertation studies the political economy of public television access in Canada as manifest in the country’s 2011 digital television/télévision numérique transition. Specifically, this dissertation scrutinizes the provision of access to television programming offered by Canada’s national public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio- Canada (CBC/Radio-Canada), and how CBC/Radio-Canada’s response to Canada’s 2011 digital television transition corresponds with its mandate under the Broadcasting Act to ensure that its programming is “made available throughout Canada by the most appropriate and efficient means and as resources become available for the purpose” (Canada, 1991). Drawing from research interviews conducted with disconnected analogue over-the-air (OTA) CBC/Radio-Canada television-viewing households and members of CBC/Radio-Canada Management involved with the public broadcaster’s response to Canada’s digital television transition deadline, this dissertation finds competing accounts of how public television delivery is linked to the provision of access to the public broadcaster’s television programming in the digital age. While interviewed members of CBC/Radio-Canada Management describe an inefficient analogue OTA public television delivery system that would be best superseded by more efficient modes of digital delivery, OTA CBC/Radio-Canada television-viewing households describe an analogue OTA CBC/Radio-Canada television service that had been providing access to CBC/Radio- Canada television programming and describe a digital disconnect following CBC/Radio- iii Canada’s digital television transition. This dissertation questions the post-analogue public television delivery operations of CBC/Radio-Canada; mainly that public television delivery cost savings achieved as a result of CBC/Radio-Canada’s response to Canada’s digital television transition deadline have resulted in gaps in access to CBC/Radio-Canada television programming by some Canadian households as articulated through this dissertation’s Public Media Access Puzzle Sieve (Public M.A.P.S.) model. The Public M.A.P.S. model offers a means by which to both anticipate and assess levels of access to public media based on the model’s elements of access related to cost, availability, functionality, opportunities for à la carte service, and access to locally relevant feed(s). In the case of CBC/Radio-Canada, gaps in household access to the public broadcaster’s digital television programming as identified by the Public M.A.P.S. model help to underscore deficiencies in Canada’s post-analogue television system, the information communication technology (ICT) sector, and domestic spectrum management practices. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the following people. Douglas Barrett John Bishop (Members of) CBC Management interviewed for this dissertation Canadian Media Research Consortium Amanda Dawn Christie Lynn Cunningham Zachary Devereaux Cathy Edwards Greg Elmer Brian Fauteux Jordan Hale Rob Heydari The Jeffrey Family Diane Jenner Daniel Joseph Infoscape Research Lab: Centre for the Study of Social Media Jon Keeble Benjamin Klass Avner Levin Anne MacLennan Fenwick McKelvey Jo Ann Mackie Jeffrey May (Dad) Marilyn May (Mom) Catherine Middleton Dan Misener Paul Moore Ian Morrison, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting Michael Murphy Greg O’Brien Andy Opel OTA CBC/Radio-Canada television-viewing households interviewed for this dissertation Daniel J. Paré Felan Parker Isabel Pedersen Ted & Loretta Rogers Peter Ryan Kirstine Stewart Gregory Taylor Alexa Tullett Ana Viseu Miles Weafer Karen Wirsig v DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the following people. Howard Alton, P.Eng. (1923-2015) Nancy Jean MacDougall, B.A. (1966-2010) Ruth Patterson (Moffat) May (1918-2010) vi Table of Contents Author’s Declaration …………………………………………………………………………...ii Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………iii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………...v Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………vi Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………………..vii List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………………………x List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………..xi List of Illustrations…………………………………………………………………………… xii List of Appendices…………………………………………………………………………….xiii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 The End(s) of Analogue .......................................................................................................................... 1 Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) to Public Service Media (PSM) ................................................ 12 Chapter 2: Access to CBC/Radio-Canada programming, 1936 to 2016 ................................ 19 The dawn of CBC/Radio-Canada ........................................................................................................ 20 CBC/Radio-Canada’s expansion into television broadcasting ......................................................... 23 The Massey Report (1951) ................................................................................................................. 24 Broadcasting Act of 1958 ................................................................................................................... 26 The Corporation’s 25th Anniversary ................................................................................................... 28 The Cable Television Conundrum ...................................................................................................... 29 The Accelerated Coverage Program (ACP) ....................................................................................... 33 Direct-to-Home (DTH) Satellite Television ....................................................................................... 35 Convergence and Vertical Integration ................................................................................................ 37 IPTV Delivery in Canada ................................................................................................................... 39 Broadcasting Distribution Regulations ............................................................................................... 40 Internet and Wireless Mobile Television Delivery ............................................................................ 42 CBC/Radio-Canada Analogue OTA Television Redux ..................................................................... 47 Chapter 3: Canada’s 2011 Digital Television Transition ........................................................ 50 Role of Shaw’s Local Television Satellite Solution (LTSS) .............................................................. 55 CBC/Radio-Canada’s response to Canada’s 2011 Digital Television Transition deadline ........... 57 Funding of CBC/Radio-Canada OTA television delivery .................................................................. 64 Global perspectives on post-analogue public television broadcasting ............................................. 69 Chapter 4: Literature Review .................................................................................................... 81 Provision of Access to Public Service Broadcasting .......................................................................... 84 Public Broadcasting as a Public Good/Service .................................................................................. 87 The Task of Serving the Imagined Community of Canada by way of public spectrum .................... 89 The Public Interest vs. Consumer Choice .......................................................................................... 92 Disintermediation: Threat or Opportunity for Public Service Media? ............................................... 94 User agency and Public Service Media (PSM) .................................................................................. 98 Efficiency and Public Broadcasting in